The terms ‘refugee’ and ‘asylum seeker’ should only arouse heartfelt concern in the Christian heart, says Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

The Jesuit Refugee Service has called for the restoration of search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean following drowning of 150 people in a shipwreck on Thursday.

“This is yet another example of the many ‘accidental cruelties’ of the direct provision system. Nobody means to do harm and everybody does their job, sort of, but things seem to happen to persons in direct provision that don’t happen to other people because it’s a system without a heart.”

“The well-being of local communities and of refugees alike requires that the provision of facilities for those who have lost everything must be carefully planned.”

"We want to make migrants’ voices heard. We want everyone with a migration experience to share it – from migrants themselves, to people who live in communities where migrants leave from, pass through or arrive and settle."

Former director of the bishops' Refugee and Migrant project warns that enforced idleness is unnatural and corrosive of dignity; people need to be allowed to work.

Contribution of religious congregations to the efforts to eradicate human trafficking and provide care and support to victims recognised.